Two Missouri Democrats quit after guilty pleas in campaign-finance probe

Two lawmakers from the St. Louis area resigned Tuesday from the Missouri General Assembly after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice charges in connection with a federal campaign finance investigation.

Freshman Democratic state Sen. Jeff Smith — viewed by many as a rising star in political circles — pleaded guilty to two federal counts of obstruction of justice tied to his failed 2004 congressional campaign.

Democratic state Rep. Steve Brown, who served as an aide to Smith in the 2004 campaign, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to obstruct justice. Brown also was serving his first term in office.